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Drugs are shaping the way that kids are growing up in today's age, some of the main reasons for kids starting drug addiction include depression, anxiety, stress, peer pressure, life circumstances, stress, and teenagers following trends. If we want to stop this drug problem then we have to understand the root causes for why teenagers are starting drugs and focus on those problems. If we can help to target the real root cause of kids starting drugs then maybe we can help to eliminate drug use, substance abuse, vaping, and teenage addiction.
Mental/emotional health can be a cause for drug addictions. If a kid were to have a mental/emotional health issue and they were ashamed of it they would probably go to drugs and alcohol for a way to calm themselves down. As kids go to the drugs more and more they will be more likely to have an addiction. Depression and anxiety are also a big influence on teenagers. About 20% of high school teenagers experience depression, but only 30% are being treated for it. teenagers may also not have good coping mechanisms. Good coping mechanisms include sports, art, and extracurricular activities. If a teenager lives in an area where youth activities and sports are not common they may turn to drugs because they do not have healthier coping mechanisms.
Childhood and the way they were raised can also affect drug use. If somebody was raised in a loving, caring home, then they probably will not turn to drugs when a problem or severe amount of stress is laid on their shoulders. If they had a supportive family. On the other hand, if someone was raised in a household where nobody ever cared about them, or paid attention to their problems, they might turn to drugs as a coping mechanism for their anxiety. They will feel like they have no one to turn to. Also, kids are heavily influenced by their parents. If someone was raised in a house where people smoked or drank, they might think it's good or acceptable to do so. They may also not realize the harmful effects that come along with smoking, drinking, or using drugs. They might not be influenced by their parents telling them not to. Or, their parents might just not care about it, or even if the parents do, the teenagers might not take them seriously because they have seen their parents do it a lot.
Teenage drug use is also impacted by access to drugs. If a teenager is growing up in a community where lots of people use or sell drugs, it may impact drug use because it is easier to access. A national survey of high schoolers said that close to half of high school students knew somebody who sold drugs. Teenagers may also find drugs in their own homes. This doesn’t necessarily always mean alcohol, it can mean prescription drugs. In 2018, 9.90% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past year, and 4.20% of high school seniors misused prescription drugs within the past month. Besides, teenagers can order drugs/substances on the internet without their parent's knowledge.
Common trends in drugs/drug use also affect teenagers. Common trends may also affect the way teenagers see drugs. Some of these common trends associated with drugs/drug use include vaping companies commonly claiming that their products are healthier than smoking but in the short amount of time that vaping has been around, more than 150 teenagers have been hospitalized across the United States. There are more and more horrible side effects that are starting to be revealed like impaired memory, difficulties problem-solving, and even increased risk of heart disease. In addition, flavored vapes and e-cigarettes also attract teenagers. Flavors like cotton candy, gummy bears, cool cucumber, fruit, mint, and bubble gum may be the reason teenagers have started vaping. Forty-three percent of kids who have vaped say that they did it for the “fun” flavors. There are 7,700 flavors that teenagers can pick from. Also, teenagers start vaping because they see celebrities advertising it on social media. Many influencers and celebrities take pictures vaping or with vapes in their hands.
Peer pressure also has a big impact on drug use. Many teenagers want to do what they see others doing to fit in. Cocaine makes you happy and the people who use it have a positive outlook on life. This makes teenagers want to do it because they see other teens happy and they want to be happy too. You only have to use a non-addictive drug, but then people realize that the way cocaine makes you feel is addictive even though cocaine dealers claim that the drug is not. The Canadian Lung Association did a study on how peer pressure impacts smoking and vaping among teens. They found that 70 percent of teenagers started smoking because of peer pressure, or because they have friends who smoked. Only 10 percent said that they started smoking on their own without having friends who smoked. Two of the main reasons kids between the ages of 12 and 17 started smoking are because they thought it was cool, or because their friends did it. There are many reasons that teenagers start to do drugs and alcohol but peer pressure is the most common one. Many people will plan what they will say if someone offers them drugs, but when they are in the moment it is not some horrible scary thing it is just you at a party with close friends who are all doing drugs and then offering some to you. Friends have the power to get you to do the things that you don’t want to do in disguise as being normal or doing what everyone else has done.
Drugs are things that are not going away. We have lived with them for years and have never been able to get rid of them. Family circumstances and trends are all root causes that have caused drugs to reach their way into the public and private education systems. Things like peer pressure have things have kids taking drugs that will get them addicted for life. If we try to help make sure that all kids have a loving caring support system surround themselves with the right kind of friends or stop believing these trends that the drug companies put out there then maybe we can begin to stop the hold drugs have on children these days. Maybe we can make it easier for the next generation.
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